An encounter with the St Petersburg artist and critic Marina Koldobskaya opened a series of discussions, excursions and lectures for the public held in the halls of the museum that have been prepared by the Youth Centre for the Jan Fabre exhibition.
The free format of interaction with the audience untypical for a museum excursion and the ability to discuss with enthusiasm complex issues of contemporary art immediately captured the interest of those who attended the event. Those included students, parents with their children, pensioners and members of the Hermitage staff, who listened to the artist with equal attention and tried together with her to grasp the concept of the exhibition project that Fabre devised specially for the Hermitage. Marina Koldobskaya conversed openly and emotionally with the participants, expressed her own opinion and answered challenging questions, winning her audience’s trust in the very first minutes. Perhaps for that reason, the discussion was calm and constructive, without the insults and accusations that often accompany such events in museums, In Koldobskaya’s opinion, it is much to the Hermitage’s credit that a great museum of classical art is not afraid to allow contemporary artists into its halls and in doing so creates a dialogue between generations and cultures.
While the Fabre exhibition is on at the Hermitage, besides the traditional lectures and meetings with members of the museum staff, several more programmes await the public «An Individual Opinion» with invited eminent St Petersburg curators, critics, artists and museum workers participating.
